


A Spark of Hope | An Akaashi x Reader Oneshot

by haikyuu_philia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Volleyball Dorks in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21545878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikyuu_philia/pseuds/haikyuu_philia
Summary: The line that keeps dreams from turning into nightmares is thin and can easily be erased. Just like this, a sting at your wrist doesn't only change the moment - It changes the whole future.Akaashi knows the feeling of helplessly facing fate. Either someone reaches out to you to pull you out of the dark or you end up being eaten by it.When things don't look good for you, Akaashi decides to step in.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Reader, Akaashi Keiji/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 208





	A Spark of Hope | An Akaashi x Reader Oneshot

**Author's Note:**

> A (belated) birthday present for @how-to-voleebol on Tumblr!
> 
> Again: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART <3

The 16th birthday.

A special day in everyone's life, no matter who you are and where you are from. Because you will get matched with someone as soon as your 17th year on this planet begins.

The name of your so-called soulmate will appear on your wrist. This person is basically the one that you are meant to be with. Forever and ever until death parts you.

Obviously this whole story has caused the society to react, which is nowadays to be seen in your daily life. Let's take school as an example.

Next to the regular clubs, like cooking or volleyball, the Soulmate Clubs can be found. Little groups whose purposes depend a lot from what they are opened for.

There is the one for those who have gotten their tattoo recently. Or the club to help those, who happen to have a name that doesn't match their current significant other. And of course one for LGBTQ+ matters of all kind.

_Kirigaya Rin_

Only looking at the ink on your wrist makes you smile every single time. What else are you supposed to do?

Therefore, just like for so many others, your main concern is to find your soulmate. Ever since their name has appeared on your body, you have dreamed about your first meeting.

In public you are always listening to passer-bies since someone might say that name. Sometimes you even find yourself using the world wide web to get hints.

But besides this rather burning curiosity you are living a normal teenage life at Fukuroudani High.

The school has been celebrating their volleyball team's victory at Nationals for a whole week! Including the players that made it happen in Tokyo.

Of course the usually silent rumors about the captain and the vice-captain being soulmates or simply having an affair with each other have gotten louder. Not that your classmate, Akaashi Keiji himself, has ever bothered to make a statement.

With all these happy faces around you, life couldn't be much better. Well, except for not finding your soulmate so far, you would use positive words to describe your life.

Until that one faithful day, which should change everything.

In the middle of class, pain shoots through your arm, coming from your wrist. At first it doesn't really bother you because it's gone as fast as it came.

When your eyes look around to find something more interesting than the math problem at the board, they get stuck at your wrist. Sadly, the disaster already stroke: There is a big, fat line crossing the letters of your soulmate's name horizontally.

Your next move is to grab a rubber in order to convince yourself that it's only a coincidence, that you accidentally colored yourself with a pen earlier.

But deep inside you know it better. From all the research you have down to fill your brain with information about the mystery of having a soulmate.

Applying more and more pressure, your hand is sliding up and down your wrist. To no avail as the line doesn't fade. At some point you just throw the rubber away to stand up, point your arm to the ground.

Now it's your bare fingers which try to get rid off the unwanted mark. Even though you go faster by the second it doesn't have any effect, besides getting your classmates' attention.

In the distance you can hear your teacher asking you stop whatever kind of nonsense you are doing. Instead of actually listening to his order, your mind is occupied with all the articles that it has stored over time. Too many to count, too many to believe that there is another answer for your problem.

One of your friends comes running from across the room to pull your hand away from your reddened wrist.

With wide eyes they are looking at you while you don't give it a try to break free: "(Y/N)? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Panting you are staring at the part that you wanted to eliminate. You are asking yourself why this is happening to you. Why exactly you out of all people.

"Are they... Are they really?"

Because of the tears, which are gathering in your eyes, you don't manage to speak it out loud. A big part of you doesn't want to do it either. For you it's like giving up all the hope that hasn't died inside of you yet.

Two seats to your right a specific ravenett watches every move of yours. How you are clenching your fists, gritting your teeth and slowly giving in to the pain.

The oh-so-familiar pain.

In the end your sobs let a shiver run down his spine while you try to speak the words that have been stuck in your throat. They come out more high-pitched, more broken with every attempt as you can't control your voice anymore.

"Did my soulmate really die?"

Afterwards you collapse into your friend's shoulder that is so desperately trying to comfort you. But even though your cries reach your classmates' hearts, they don't know how to help you.

Instead, the only thing they are capable of is checking their own wrists to kill the paranoia inside of them.

Except for yours no tattoo has changed. Fate has shown itself to you at its finest.

\-----

For a whole week you didn't leave the house at all and your room simply for the purpose of going to the toilet or getting food. Life seemed unnecessary in your eyes. Only chocolate helped to ease the pain a little bit.

If your soulmate sadly dies before your first meeting, a black line will cross their name on your wrist.

On day seven of your sulking session you have enough of not doing anything besides eating. A glance in the mirror is nearly giving you a heart attack and you finally find the motivation to take a bath again. Maybe a part of you doesn't want to give in to the despair.

Nevertheless your classmates are even more surprised to see you alive in school the next day.

The only difference might be the bandage around your wrist to cover the name that once made your heart flutter.

So you smile throughout every question, every lesson, every break. Like nothing happened a week ago. Sulking for seven days left you somehow numb when you talk about the topic.

"I don't know. It's just that life goes on and I can't change it anyways. For now I want to concentrate on my future," you explain your reasons for showing up.

It's easy. Most tattoos are covered underneath long sleeves thanks to the cold temperatures.

It's not hard. The average student is able to talk about so much more than just the soulmate-thing.

It's acceptable. During lessons your mind is fully concentrated on the subjects and the new input.

That is until a pair of new-found soulmates discovers each other's identity in the middle of lunch break. Without a word you stand up, carrying that idiotic smile on your face, to excuse yourself to the bathroom.

You rush through the hallways, trying to suppress the urge to scream. One step after another your legs are carrying you to the calmest place that you can think of right now.

Going to the restroom hasn't been your real intention in the first place.

Many stairs later you are able to push open the door to the rooftop. Fresh air gets sucked into your lungs, a refresh which you haven't noticed you were in desperate need of.

Instantly you are headed for the railing to hold onto it. Luckily no one is up here to notice your tiny meltdown as it's way more comfortable inside.

Before you can help it, tears start flowing down your cheeks. The ever burning pain in your chest doesn't want to go away like it's willing to never let go of you again.

"It might hurt now, but it will get better soon."

A soft voice reaches out to you. Within a second you stand straight and wipe your face with your even colder hands.

Two boys are coming closer as they witness your puffy eyes alongside your red cheeks. But you are only able furrow your eyebrows at them.

How should they know? How should Bokuto Koutarou and Akaashi Keiji, the stars of the volleyball team, know that it will get better?

According to the rumors both of them are meant for each other as they are carrying the name of the other boy at their wrists. Those two have it easy, compared to many others.

The first reason coming to your mind is pity. Especially because the second year saw your darkest moment in class last week. Great.

"Crying is okay! Totally! But talking about it is more helpful!" Bokuto explains with this careless grin of his.

To you this does seem as the most idiotic advice you have received so far. Even if you tried, you would only bother those who wouldn't understand your situation. Not gonna happen.

"You are probably questioning his statement at the moment. Which is absolutely understandable. He isn't wrong, though. Talking eases the pain."

Akaashi's words make you look into his eyes for the first time. Standing next to Bokuto, they could be the sun and the moon with all their differences.

"I'm fine. Really," you begin to reply. "Well, I will be in a few days."

The increasing smile of Bokuto makes you think that he has been waiting for that exact answer. At the same time you still wonder why they happen to be here.

In shock you step back as your upperclassman practically screams his response into your face: "Until then you can talk to us!"

"Why?"

It slipped out of your mouth before you could think about it. But this one word contains so much more than it seems.

Why are they talking to you?

Why does he want you to talk to them?

Why are they interested in listening to your stories?

Why can't they just leave you alone?

Again, it's like Akaashi has read your mind. Both boys hold up their right arms in total sync to pull down their blazers and shirts a little.

"Because we've been through the same thing," your classmate says.

At the same time the probably most famous students at Fukuroudani reveal their bandaged wrists to you. Hidden underneath the fabric are their soulmates' names, which have been crossed with a thick line as well.

Just like yours.

\-----

A lot of things in life have changed as a result of your meeting with the boys at the rooftop. For example, you've become a member of the rather unknown club "SPARK".

Bokuto and Akaashi both happen to be part of it, which didn't leave questions for you before you joined.

Basically the club is about talking to people that have lost their soulmate before meeting them. Only six active members take part in the weekly gatherings, but this doesn't decrease the fun.

Sometimes your friends take a visit, even though there isn't an unnecessary line on their wrist. Nevertheless they are welcome without an exception.

The more time passed, the more you've learnt that the loss isn't the end of the world. In contrast to your first day in school after Day X, you are able to smile a real smile again.

Then a specific day in March comes around - The graduation of the third years.

In order to celebrate one last time with all six members, the remaining five have decided to plan a sleepover in the club room. With snacks, sleeping bags and everything what the six of you might need.

"The meetings will be weird without him laughing and yelling all the time," you sigh while preparing your temporary bed.

Akaashi, already placed in his bag, watches the sleeping third year for a second.

"Agreed. He can be annoying, but in a positive way. At least most of the time."

You chuckle at his comment. In the end Bokuto is the same kind of special as the club.

The members don't want to be alone with their thoughts, but they don't want anyone to join either. Because the official members have been through hell and back, without the hope of a rational happy end.

No one deserves this.

If it hadn't been for Bokuto and Akaashi a few weeks back, who knows where you would be at moment.

Well, most likely not sliding into a sleeping bag on the club room's floor while talking to Akaashi. Sometimes you still hate fate, even though it's not because of what happened to you.

Akaashi has lost his soulmate only a few months before you. Still, he always had an open ear for you as you could text him all the time.

Not to insult Bokuto in any kind of way, but talking about serious topics wasn't his strength. That's where Akaashi always steps in.

Becoming friends with your crazy bunch of clubmates definitely is a bright side of the events.

"That might sound weird. Nevertheless a part of me doesn't want to wake up tomorrow. I don't want things to change," you admit.

In the meantime you have laid down as well to stare at the ceiling. If it was summer, you could have slept outside, underneath the stars. A beautiful idea.

To your left you can hear ruffling in the dark and as you turn your head you can directly look at Akaashi's face.

The moon is lightening the room enough to allow you to see his eyes and ... the tiny smirk on his lips?

Halfway lost in thought he responses, "Who knows what will happen the next day? You could miss something important or game changing."

You place a hand below your head to make your position more comfortable.

At some occasions it's like Akaashi hosts one of these websites for inspirational quotes. The chats with him are filled with sayings similar to this. They cheered you up so many times before.

"Seriously, don't leave me alone with leading this club! I need you," he adds pretty monotone.

Now would be such a perfect moment to confess, if you were soulmates. A scenario like this was always on your mind when you thought about meeting your soulmate for the first time.

Moreover the world seems to sparkle for real, even though the dark is ruling in the room. Akaashi's eyes have never looked so blue before. Maybe they really are a reflection of the sky.

"I need you, too! If it wasn't for you, I would probably still be in that sulking state of mine. You saved me."

A yawn escapes your mouth right after you have finished what you were saying.

Little do you know that Akaashi's sight has changed that second like yours had a minute before. As if you are so much more to him than a friend and fellow in misery.

"We should go to sleep. It's late. Past midnight, I guess," he mumbles.

With this assignment in your ears, you turn around to lay on your left side to do so. Tomorrow will be an extremely long and exhausting day with the graduation ceremony coming up. An emotionally exhausting day to be specific.

Even though Bokuto would only graduate, you won't be able to see him as often. Chances are high that he will be too busy for any kind of meeting in the next months.

It's not as bad as losing your soulmate, but it still hurts to say goodbye for an unknown time. The future leaves too many questions unanswered, if someone was to ask you.

Akaashi must have noticed how your mind has begun to slowly drift off since only a short wish for a good night interrupts the silence.

"Good night, Akaashi," you return the favor without missing a beat.

The tiredness gets a fast hold of you and pulls into a wild combination of dreams. You seem to rush through the scenarios of the past months, including the pain, the tears, the screams and the emptiness in your heart. But you can't outrun them, no matter how hard you try.

That is until a spark of gold lightens your dreams, leaving a warm feeling inside of you. Instead of remembering the bad times, you end up thinking about all the amazing memories.

The fun meetings; the amounts of laughter shared with your friends, old and new; the wish to make time stop because every has been great recently.

Fate doesn't necessarily hate you - After months of despair, you don't think that you are cursed.

Just like that, these thoughts lead you back to reality. Though you need some moments to realize what situation you are in - Namely caught in Akaashi's arms.

One of them is simply resting on your waist while you can feel his breath at the back of your neck. Somehow you must have turned around in the night and his moves must have been as unconsciously as yours. Despite it being an accident, you haven't felt so secure in a long time.

For several minutes you try to fall asleep under these heavenly circumstances again, but you fail thanks to your racing heart.

What's going on here?

Only when the door of the room swings open, you notice that morning has already arrived. You sit up, careful to not wake Akaashi, to face Bokuto in his trainings clothes.

"Why are you up? And what time is it?" you whisper at the sight of the other sleeping club members.

Bokuto simply smiles at you, though you are able to spot that tiny bit of sadness in his eyes. Obviously. It has to be hard to leave this place.

"About 5:30. I just went for a jog in the area."

Surprisingly even he seems to be able to speak quietly, if the situation calls for it. The last day with him as your upperclassman and you still learn something new about him.

Pushing your arms in the air above your head, you stretch a little before you stand up.

Underneath your feet the sleeping bag starts ruffling, which you try to avoid as much as possible. With the dimmed lights it happens to be quite a challenge to not step on one of your friends.

As you rub the sleep out of your eyes, you want to pass Bokuto in order to go to the toilet. Maybe you'll be able to sleep a little longer afterwards.

Well, Akaashi is still occupying half of your sleeping space. Eventually you won't be falling asleep anyways.

You yawn, "I'm going to the bathroom. See-"

"(Y/N). Don't move."

There is a seriousness in Bokuto's voice that you've never heard before. That you've never thought you would hear.

"The bandage is gone. You must have lost it in your sleep," he explains as he begins to search for a new one in his own bag.

Even though quite a bit of time has passed ever since Day X, a piece of cloth is still covering your wrist everyday. Same for all of the other club members because it mostly isn't necessary to see that hurting reminder.

Usually you would have covered your eyes until Bokuto has wrapped a new bandage around it, probably asking you what color you want it to be beforehand.

But today you feel different. A tickling inside of your chest tells you to have a look at it.

You didn't plan to have a breakdown because of it today. Not today, when it is such an important day for the club leader. Still, you can't convince yourself to stop.

And so you glance at your wrist.

"JESUS, GOD ALMIGHTY!", you exclaim to slap your hand in front of your mouth a second later.

Everyone is sitting up with a straight back within the blink of an eye. Some of them just look at you, some others begin to ask questions.

What happened? Why did someone scream? Is this the apocalypse?

On the other side of the room, Akaashi only watches how Bokuto is wrapping his arms around your figure. A bit of ruffling later he stands on his own feet to make his way to you.

In the meantime you can't find the words to describe the feelings inside of your body. No matter how long you stare at the tattoo, the name doesn't change.

"We will just put a new bandage on it and everything will be alright, okay?" Bokuto says while rubbing your back with one hand.

For him it looks like you didn't take it well to see your soulmate's name again.

To his confusion you crack a smile at him when you pull yourself out of his embrace. In an instant Bokuto could tell that you aren't faking it.

Hope is sparkling in your eyes.

"What is wrong? Did you say something stupid, Bokuto-san?", Akaashi asks from a few meters away.

The boy's hair resembles a complete mess, the tiredness is still refusing to completely let go of him.

Bokuto lets out an offended gasp before you giggle at them.

"Don't worry, he didn't. But I will say something that might sound absolutely stupid for you. Are you ready?"

Akaashi stumbles over a shoe that his occupied mind didn't notice earlier. Whatever you are about to say, it can't make the situation even weirder.

Therefore he agrees with a simple nod after stopping an arm length away from you. Five pairs of more or less tired eyes are directed at you.

One last time you check your own wrist to be sure that it hadn't been the rest of your dream or tiredness.

You take a deep breath, "Check your wrist. I know it's a lot I'm asking for. But please check it because it's driving me crazy."

Everyone doesn't know what to respond. You are practically breaking rule No. 1 - aka. The Golden Rule - Never ask or force someone to take off the bandage.

"(Y/N), you can't just ask that from him," Bokuto steps in. "Akaashi, you don't have to-"

"I will do it, if it makes you feel better. No idea what's going on here, but you would never do something like this without a reason."

His fingers reach to the dark blue piece of fabric that is wrapped around his wrist. Just one pull and it will be ripped off. An easy task. In theory.

Nearly a year ago his Day X took place. In the evening he had brushed his finger over the unknown and yet so familiar name. The next morning a thick line was crossing it. After meeting Bokuto, who had been through the same months earlier, he has never looked at it.

Until now.

Until the person who he had thought would jump off the roof every minute asked him to do so.

Akaashi's mind knows that he can fulfill the task without a problem, his trembling fingers tell him different things. And then there is his heart, that motivates him to take action like he has nothing to fear.

It's only a name. It's only a name. It's only a name. It can't hurt you.

With that mantra on his mind, he frees his wrist from the bandage. His racing heart skips a beat for a reason, which he has thought of as completely impossible.

"No way," he mumbles barely loud enough for everyone to hear.

As he looks up, his eyes meet yours, that are craving for an answer. They are waiting for an information out of his mouth so badly. A word which could rebuild happiness or destroy it.

With an aching heart you blurt out, "Does it say it? Does it say my name?"

That exclaim full of fear and hope makes him finally understand what happened and what situation he is in. The pieces are coming together.

Everything makes perfect sense when you present your bare wrist to him.

"Okay guys! What the heck is happening here?!", Bokuto asks without knowing the definition of speaking quietly like usual.

He grabs Akaashi's and your wrist with his own hands to check them himself. The others still watch the whole thing like they are sitting in a cinema.

Your upperclassman starts reading out loud: "Here we have Akaashi Keiji and on the other one (L/N) (Y/N)."

That's when everyone is hit by realization.

"Oh my god! You got rematched!", a girl from first year announces everyone's thoughts.

The whole room breaks out in nervous and excited blabbering. Bokuto lets go of your wrist to jump around and scream "HOOT HOOT!" every now and then.

No one really notices how the both of you slip out of the door, where you wrap your arms around Akaashi's upper body. He locks his arm behind your back.

"I can't b-believe that th-this is h-happening", you hiccup into his chest while gasping for air in between your sobs.

If Akaashi wasn't here, you could stare at your wrist for a solid 37 hours without a break. Nothing in the world would get you to cover the tattoo at the moment.

Even though he feels the same, Akaashi can't express it with words like you do. He is resting his forehead on the top of your head, trying to cope with the feelings inside of him.

For now it's enough for him to keep you close, to sense your comforting warmth, to not be alone anymore.

Maybe fate has stopped hating him after it let him suffer for so long. With you in his arms all the pain seems to vanish into nowhere.

The sound of his heartbeats finally manages to calm you down.

Akaashi is here. He is alive. And he doesn't plan to leave you alone.

Nuzzled into his chest, you remember that one myth you've read about in an old book in the library before your 16th birthday:

_When the bond between two, who have lost it all, grows strong enough, they will be able to complete each other again._

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued...?


End file.
